Sanak Island

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Sanak Island is an island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska, located at 54°22′N 163°22′W. Two famous shipwrecks, one in 1906 and another in 1943, occurred near Sanak. Like many of the other Aleutian Islands, Sanak was inhabited by the Aleutian, or more properly Unangan, people for thousands of years. Although Sanak is now no longer occupied by permanent residents, the island is still owned by its former residents who visit the island occasionally to harvest the feral cattle that live on the island. Travel to the island is currently done by fishing vessel. The trip takes about five hours to cross the roughly 40 mile distance from King Cove to Sanak.

In 2004 and 2006 teams of archeologists and ecologists visited Sanak Island to study the effects of long-term human occupation on the island. Over 100 archeological sites have been excavated to date with the oldest sites dating to 5600 years before present. Field research will resume in June of 2007 when archeologists and ecologists led by investigators from Idaho State University will return to the island to study both the living plants and animals as well as the remains of food animals such as fish, sea mammals, and shellfish preserved in archeological sites.